HOME DEPARTMENT

UK Passports (Birth Certificates)

Beverley Hughes: I have decided that the shortened form of birth certificate, which omits names of parents, will no longer be acceptable evidence of nationality for the purpose of applying for a British passport in the United Kingdom. This will help with our aims of combating identity fraud and in ensuring the integrity of the British passport. It will also bring practice in the UK into line with that at British consular posts overseas, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
	Since the British Nationality Act 1981 came into force on 1 January 1983, British nationality has not automatically been acquired by the fact of birth in the UK or a British Overseas Territory. The Act provides that a child born in the UK will be a British citizen if one of the parents is a British citizen or is settled in the UK. Equivalent provisions apply to the overseas territories. A short birth certificate, which establishes only the place and date of birth, is therefore not sufficient to establish eligibility for a passport. The practice introduced on 1 January 1983 was to accept the passport applicant's own declaration on the application form as to the identity and nationality of the parents upon whom the child's British nationality depended. This was a satisfactory interim measure, but is no longer appropriate over 20 years after the change in the law.
	The new requirement will introduce an important safeguard against false claims of British nationality and will make identity fraud more difficult. I am aware that although over 75 per cent. of new parents obtain a full standard certificate when registering a birth, many people only have a short birth certificate and will therefore face a small additional expense in obtaining a passport. However it is in everyone's interest that British passports are issued only on production of adequate evidence of British nationality. The change, which will normally affect only those applying for their first passport, will be implemented on 4 May 2004.

TREASURY

Commemorative Crown

Gordon Brown: Her Majesty the Queen has been graciously pleased to approve my recommendation that a commemorative crown should be issued in 2004 to mark the 100th anniversary of the entente cordiale between Britain and France.
	Collector versions of the coin will be released at a premium above face value and, during the course of the year, the coin will also become available at its face value of five pounds from banks and post offices.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Gas Desulphurisation Plant

Stephen Timms: I have today granted consent under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 to Rugeley Power Limited for the construction of flue gas desulphurisation plant at the 1,000 MW coal-fired power station at Rugeley in Staffordshire. Planning permission for the plant has also been deemed to be granted, subject to 47 planning conditions agreed with the Staffordshire County Council, the Cannock Chase District Council and the Lichfield District Council.
	Copies of the press notice and decision letter are being placed in the Library of the House.

HEALTH

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act

Melanie Johnson: I am pleased to announce that, after a two year period of consultation and consideration, we propose to seek Parliament's approval for regulations, under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, to enable people conceived by donated sperm, eggs or embryos in future to know the identity of their donor.
	We propose that donors who donate from 1 April 2005 will do so on the understanding that any child born as a result of their donation will be able to obtain from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority identifying details about them when the child reaches the age of 18. This will not apply to people who have donated before that time. It means that the first donor-conceived people to receive identifying information about their donors would do so in 2023.
	I must stress that removal of anonymity will not lead to the donor having any responsibility, parental, financial or otherwise, for the child.
	In addition, as we announced on 28 January 2003, the regulations will provide for non-identifying information about donors to be given, on request, to donor-conceived people who were born after the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's register came into effect in 1991. This will be available to 18 year olds in 2010. The non-identifying information will be standardised so that, from 2022, all donor-conceived people who request it will be able to receive the same categories of information.
	The decision that it is right to remove donor anonymity has been informed by a public consultation on the provision of information to donor-conceived people; a programme of work with clinics and donors; consideration of the position in other countries; and a comparison with the information available to adopted people. We have also listened to the voices of donor-conceived people. Our conclusion is that the interests of the child are paramount, and that the position of donor-conceived people should be aligned more closely with that of adopted people, with access to identifying information about their donor when they reach age 18.
	We intend to use the opportunity of the removal of anonymity to encourage a change in the culture of sperm, egg and embryo donation. By bringing more openness to it, we want to see wider recognition of the value and importance of such donations, and greater public appreciation of the dramatic difference that the donors can make to lives and families. To support the transition to identifiable donors we will raise consciousness of the need for donors and the contribution they make to our society through a campaign for public awareness.
	The regulations will be laid before Parliament as soon as possible.
	We have also considered developments that are taking place more widely in the assisted reproduction area. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act has been in force since 1991. It was landmark legislation at the time, setting up the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and introducing the first regulatory regime in the world specifically for the newly developing field of assisted reproduction. Since then, over 73,000 babies have been born in the UK as a result of treatment procedures regulated under the Act.
	Bearing in mind the speed at which new technologies in the fertility field develop, and the complex ethical issues often associated with them, the Act has stood the test of time remarkably well.
	However, any cutting-edge legislation, no matter how successful, at some stage needs to be reconsidered and any necessary readjustments made to ensure that it continues to be effective. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act is no exception. Developments in new technologies, changes in public perception of ethical issues, and the effect of international developments all have an impact and need to be considered.
	I have concluded, therefore, that it is time to review the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The review will begin in 2004 and will include a full public consultation exercise in 2005. The review will be carried out by the Department, and will include taking account of the work of the Science and Technology Committee, which is considering human reproductive technologies and the law and plans to report later this year. We welcome the work of the Committee.
	The review will be wide-ranging, but will exclude certain issues such as embryo research, stem cells and cloning which have been extensively and conclusively debated in Parliament in recent years. The issues that we envisage the review addressing include the range of procedures covered by the Act, checking the safety and efficacy of techniques, ethical considerations and effective regulation.
	The Act has been very successful landmark legislation. We believe that it is right to review it to ensure that it continues to be effective in the 21st century.

TRANSPORT

Rural Bus Challenge

Tony McNulty: I am pleased to announce today the results of the 2003 rural bus challenge competition. A total of £20 million pounds has been awarded to 33 local authorities for 42 schemes which will provide improved local transport in rural areas.
	This announcement brings to £110 million the sum awarded under the rural bus challenge scheme, supporting a total of 300 projects. A list of the 2003 awards will be deposited in the Library of the House.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Sound Insulation

Phil Hope: I have decided to allow robust details, as developed by the House Builders Federation (HBF), to be used as an alternative to pre-completion testing to demonstrate compliance with Part E of the Building Regulations. This applies only to the sound insulation between new houses and flats. The HBF's proposals have been subjected to public consultation with a generally favourable response. They have also been considered by the Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC) who have recommended acceptance, subject to a monitoring procedure, and a review of the situation in three years. I anticipate that the option to use robust details will come into force on 1 July 2004, and I propose to publish amendment regulations before then.
	Future development, maintenance and monitoring of the robust details will be carried out by an independent company set up for the purpose called Robust Details Ltd. This company will be run by a management board whose members represent industry (building and product manufacturers), building control, and consumer interests. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will be represented by an Observer.
	I am confident that use of robust details will result in significantly improved standards of sound insulation, while imposing much less of a burden on industry than pre-completion testing.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Wassenaar Arrangement

Denis MacShane: Hon. Members will wish to be aware of the outcome of the plenary of the Wassenaar arrangement on export controls for conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies which took place in Vienna on 10–12 December 2003.
	The arrangement is the only multilateral export control forum dealing with conventional arms. Its purpose is to prevent de-stabilising accumulations of conventional weapons in sensitive parts of the world by promoting transparency and responsibility in transfers of arms and dual-use goods. The Government believe the arrangement has an important role to play in improving arms exporting practices amongst its current participating states, and can help to spread good practice to other countries.
	The plenary meeting concluded a year-long review of the arrangement, which has agreed a number of important changes to its operations, including:
	enhanced controls on conventional arms with special emphasis on strengthening capabilities of participating states to combat the threat of terrorism;
	increased transparency with the addition of mandatory reporting for all small arms and light weapons (SALW) exports;
	strict controls on man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS) transfers;
	guidelines on arms brokering;
	and adopting end-use oriented controls encouraging member Governments to impose export controls on certain unlisted items when necessary to support the United Nations arms embargoes.
	The question of admission of new participating states was discussed, although no decisions in this area were taken at the plenary. The plenary also agreed on the importance of work to explain the arrangement's merits to non-participating states.
	A ministerial statement was agreed in the name of Ministers from all Wassenaar arrangement states and released at the end of the plenary. The purpose of this statement was to reaffirm the importance participating states attach to the Wassenaar arrangement as a forum for the promotion of peace and stability, as well as to raise the arrangement's public profile. It reads as follows:
	"Ministers of the thirty-three participating States in the Wassenaar arrangement on export controls for conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies are pleased that the quadrennial assessment of the functioning of the Arrangement has concluded with several important agreements to advance further the Wassenaar arrangement's non-proliferation and international security and stability goals.
	We wish to affirm the importance of the Wassenaar arrangement as one of the pillars of multilateral efforts towards peace and stability. We believe agreements reached in the context of the Wassenaar arrangement can play a critical role in preventing the diversion of legal arms transfers and in promoting responsible national export control policies for conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies. In this context, we strongly endorse multilateral efforts to develop strict controls on the transfer of man-portable air defence systems (MANPADS) that continue to pose one of the most serious threats to the safety of international civil aviation.
	As we look at ahead and consider the future threats to international security and stability, we are convinced that countries committed to a stable international order must work together closely to prevent conventional weapons and sensitive dual-use technologies from being used to perpetrate terrorist acts. Terrorists must be stopped from diverting weapons from legitimate channels. Building upon the momentum developed during the 2003 assessment, we believe that continued collaboration between the participating states of the Wassenaar arrangement will make a significant contribution to global security"
	The Government will continue to work for further changes to the arrangement so that it becomes an even more effective forum for the promotion of responsible and transparent exporting practices for strategic goods.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Postal Elections (Pilot Regions)

Christopher Leslie: In December it was announced that, subject to the European Parliamentary and Local Elections Pilot Bill achieving Royal Assent, the north-east and east midlands regions would pilot all postal voting at the combined European Parliamentary and local elections in June 2004. I can today announce it is our intention that two further regions will also hold all-postal pilots. These regions will be Yorkshire and the Humber and the north-west.
	I am pleased to be able to announce these further regions so that the important work of preparing for the pilot elections can begin in earnest. We have identified Yorkshire and the Humber and the north-west after discussion with electoral administrators and look forward to those regions, alongside the north-east and east midlands, helping us to progress our electoral modernisation agenda.

DEFENCE

UK Gulf Veterans' Mortality Data

Ivor Caplin: As part of the Government's commitment to investigate Gulf veterans' illnesses openly and honestly, data on mortality of veterans of the 1990–91 Gulf conflict are regularly published. The most recent figures, for the period 1 April 1991 to 31 December 2003, were published on 15 January 2004. The key tables from that publication are set out below. Table 1 gives the causes of death to UK Gulf veterans over that period; table 2 shows the deaths due to malignant neoplasms among UK Gulf veterans. As with previous information, the data for Gulf veterans are compared to that of a control group, known as the Era cohort, which is made up of armed forces personnel of a similar age, gender, service, regular/reservist status and rank who were not deployed.
	Joan
	
		Table 1: Deaths to UK Gulf veterans(1) 1 April 1991–31 December 2003 -- Causes(2)
		
			 ICD Chapter Cause of death Gulf Era MortalityRateRatio 95%ConfidenceInterval 
		
		
			  All deaths 632 643 0.98 (0.88–1.09) 
			  All cause coded deaths 619 627 0.98 (0.88–1.10) 
			 I–XVI Disease-related causes 265 321 0.82 (0.70–0.97) 
			 I Infectious and parasitic diseases 6 3 1.99 (0.43–12.30) 
			 II Cancers 115 130 0.88 (0.68–1.14) 
			 III Endocrine and immune disorders 1 6 0.17 (0.00–1.37) 
			 V Mental disorders 13 16 0.81 (0.36–1.79) 
			 VI Diseases of the nervous system and sense organs 10 11 0.90 (0.34–2.35) 
			 VII Diseases of the circulatory system 88 113 0.77 (0.58–1.03) 
			 VIII Diseases of the respiratory system 11 8 1.37 (0.50–3.92) 
			 IX Diseases of the digestive system 16 20 0.80 (0.39–1.62) 
			 IV, X–XVI All other disease-related causes(3) 5 14 0.36 (0.10–1.04) 
			 EXVII External causes of injury and poisoning 354 306 1.15 (0.99–1.35) 
			  Railway accidents 4 1 3.98 (0.39–196.03) 
			  Motor vehicle accidents 124 101 1.22 (0.93–1.60) 
			  Water transport accidents 5 1 4.98 (0.56–235.34) 
			  Air and space accidents 26 19 1.36 (0.73–2.60) 
			  Other vehicle accidents 0 1 0.00 (0.00–38.81) 
			  Accidental poisoning 14 15 0.93 (0.42–2.06) 
			  Accidental falls 8 8 1.00 (0.33–3.04) 
			  Accidents due to fire/flames 0 2 0.00 (0.00–5.30) 
			  Accidents due to natural environmental factors 2 2 1.00 (0.07–13.73) 
			  Accidents due to submersion/suffocation/foreign bodies 17 7 2.42 (0.95–6.89) 
			  Other accidents 32 30 1.06 (0.62–1.81) 
			  Late effects of accident/injury 0 2 0.00 (0.00–5.30) 
			  Suicide and injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted 113 108 1.04 (0.79–1.37) 
			  Homicide 6 5 1.19 (0.30–4.95) 
			  Injury resulting from the operations of war 3 4 0.75 (0.11–4.41) 
			  Other deaths for which coded cause data are not yet available 9 12 
			  Overseas deaths for which cause data are not available 4 4 
		
	
	Notes:
	(1) Service and Ex-Service personnel only.
	(2) Causes have been coded to the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Diseases 9th revision (ICD-9), 1977.
	(3) Includes cases with insufficient information on the death certificate to provide a known cause of death.
	
		Table 2: Deaths due to Malignant neoplasms among UK Gulf veterans 1 April 1991–31 December 2003 -- Major anatomical sites and specific sites with at least 5 deaths in one of the cohorts
		
			 ICD Chapter Anatomical site Gulf Era MortalityRateRatio 95%ConfidenceInterval 
		
		
			 140–149 Malignant neoplasms of lip, oral cavity and pharynx 6 4 1.49 (0.35–7.19) 
			 150–159 Malignant neoplasms of digestive organs and peritoneum 25 31 0.80 (0.45–1.40) 
			  of which: 
			 150 Malignant neoplasms of oesophagus 9 4 2.24 (0.62–9.95) 
			 153 Malignant neoplasms of colon 4 11 0.36 (0.08–1.22) 
			 160–165 Malignant neoplasms of respiratory and intrathoracic organs 17 26 0.65 (0.33–1.25) 
			  of which: 
			 162 Malignant neoplasms of trachea, bronchus and lung 15 24 0.62 (0.30–1.24) 
			 170–175 Malignant neoplasms of bone, connective tissue, skin and breast 16 14 1.14 (0.52–2.52) 
			  of which: 
			 172 Malignant neoplasms of skin 7 6 1.16 (0.33–4.18) 
			 179–189 Malignant neoplasms of genitourinary organs 4 7 0.57 (0.12–2.24) 
			 190–199 Malignant neoplasms of other and unspecified sites 23 31 0.74 (0.41–1.31) 
			  of which: 
			 199 Malignant neoplasms of brain 15 15 1.00 (0.45–2.18) 
			 200–208 Malignant neoplasms of lymphatic and haematopoietic tissue 21 14 1.49 (0.72–3.17) 
			  of which: 
			 200–202 Lymphomas 10 8 1.24 (0.44–3.63) 
			 204–208 Leukaemias 9 6 1.49 (0.47–5.10) 
			 235–239 Neoplasm of uncertain behaviour or unspecified nature 3 3 1.00 (0.13–7.43)